A FORGOTTEN PAST
by ChikitaWolf
Summary: Arianna- a young Cherokee girl from America. Mana & Neah- two orphan brothers trying to surive on their own. Shunned & rejected by society, follow these three youngsters as they try to live their lives to the fullest. JOINT-STORY TO SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH
1. Happy Birthday

|| **A__F_O_R_G_O_T_T_E_N__P_A_S_T **||

**||SUMMARY||** _Arianna- a young Cherokee girl from America. Mana and Neah- two orphan brothers trying to survive on their own. Follow these three youngsters as they live their lives to the fullest while being shunned by society. JOINT STORY WITH SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH_

**||WARNING||** _As it says above, this is a JOINT STORY with SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH (my other FanFic). This means that the possibility of spoilers are practically 3 in 4. Therefore, updates on this fanfic will be slow to keep the suspense and plot running smoothly in SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH. Another thing you should be aware of: Mana and Neah will be OOC. Why? Because Hoshino hasn't revealed Mana and Neah's personalities so far in the DGM manga (as of now, DGM Chapter 199 is the latest chapter). Therefore, I will be creating their personalities, so don't be disappointed if you don't like the way I've written (*typed*) them. Also, Arianna is OC. My character. Copyright to me. No stealy, or I'll sic Chikita on you. Do be aware that many details in this fanfic will most likely be made up, or molded with my ideas and those bits that have been revealed in the DGM manga so far. So please don't think that this story is completely on track with the DGM plot. Confusion with plots isn't fun. I would know._

**||CLAIMER||** _All things not mentioned in DGM are copyright to me unless posted otherwise._

**||DISCLAIMER|| **_I do not own DGm or any characters, plot-lines, sayings, etc, that are in DGM._

**

* * *

**

**/| CHAPTER 1 |\**

**Happy Birthday**

Arianna didn't know how to feel.

Stares. Eyes were on her. Watching her every move; scrutinizing her copper skin with distaste.

Whispers. Their voices low and eager to gossip about her—the savage. The Cherokee girl from America.

Frowns. Disapproving her presence. Her very _existence_.

Should she feel angry? Angry at the people that judged her so negatively?

Sad? Sad that she wasn't accepted by them?

Or should she even care? She didn't know them—these pale humans called "Brits"—and they didn't know her. Why should she be bothered by it all?

Why did she feel so empty? Was this the "loneliness" that her people had talked about back home?

And why were these feelings so strong today? True, it was only her third day living in England amongst the pale humans; but ever since she had arrived, the feeling of belonging in this foreign land had never once occurred to her…

Was it because it was her Birthday today? Was that why these feelings were suddenly welling up her throat, holding her in such a tight, unmerciful grip?

She lowered her head and picked up her pace, trying to get her young legs to move a bit more quickly through the crowded street of people. The crowd of pale humans. The "Brits".

The cobble stones under her feet were foreign to her. It was no surprise when she tripped, her feet having been bred to tread over forest grounds, not paved streets. However, she didn't make a sound. Arianna merely picked herself up, rubbed her scratched hands against her now dirty dress, and continued, trying to be as invisible and unnoticeable as possible even as the crowd parted for her.

No one wanted to touch the Cherokee girl. It was like she was diseased—undesirable and filthy.

Frustrated tears pricked her eyes, and she bit down on her already abused lip.

It was her birthday.

All she wanted was someone to sing her "Happy Birthday". She didn't even care if it was not in her native tongue. English would be perfectly fine. Heck, just a simple "Happy Birthday, Arianna" would suffice.

Anything.

All she wanted was someone to acknowledge her day.

Her special day.

The day of her birth.

Her ninth Birthday.

Yet, no one was there to do it. Her mother and father were busy, still moving things into their new house. Her mother had been too busy trying to find a job—a place that would accept her Cherokee background and let her work. Her father was… well… he was busy, but he was also…

The earlier held-back tears spilled, trailing down her face.

Her father was… changing. Back in America, he had been happy and kind; even though it had been only a couple of decades since the Revolutionary War, and his side, Britain, had lost, making things rather tense. Now, back in his homeland, her father had been slowly crumbling… Yes, he was still kind, but not happy. Not anymore. Every once in a while, Arianna would even have trouble reading her father's face.

That was what scared her the most.

She sniffled quietly, breaking away from the main streets and heading towards the more secluded areas of the small city.

Maybe she could sing herself "Happy Birthday". She knew well that she was gifted with a singing voice, even at her tender age of eight... no, nine. She was turning nine...

She couldn't turn nine until someone sang her "Happy Birthday". Therefore, since no one would sing it to her, she would sing it to herself. No matter how much it hurt her to do so, to admit that only she cared about her own Birthday.

Her mind made up, though still conflicted, Arianna ventured off even farther, breaking out into the outskirts of the city and closer to the forest that bordered it.

However, no sooner had she done so, two voices drifted to her ears, laughing and chatting.

Sounding so happy.

The complete opposite of what she was feeling.

Arianna quieted her footsteps—being bear-foot had its advantages—and turned the corner of the last building within the city grounds.

Her hazel eyes landed on a pair of boys, around her age, who were drawing figures into the dirt with sticks. They had similar looks, no doubt brothers. In fact, they seemed to be the exact same height and were both wearing identical clothing—trousers, dress shirt, vest, and a red ribbon tied around their necks. The only real difference between them seemed to be their hair; one had seemingly spiky chestnut brown hair, whilst the other had longer and darker brown hair pulled into a low ponytail.

The one with the spiky hair gave a crooked grin, and grabbed his brother's dirty dress sleeve, trying to get his attention. The one with the long hair turned away from his drawing and looked at his brother's. The two immediately broke into laughter and wide grins.

Arianna's earlier frustration suddenly sparked, flaming inside of her.

It wasn't fair! Why didn't she get to laugh like them? Why didn't she have anyone to play and smile with?

Why didn't she have anyone to sing her "Happy Birthday"?

Anger and jealousy taking over her, Arianna stomped over to the two, her eyes flashing. She stopped behind them and put her hands on her hips, drawing herself to her full height.

"You two!" she barked, her tone rivaling that of the city night guards.

The two boys turned around—complete surprise decorating their dirt-smudged, young faces.

"Sing me 'Happy Birthday'!"

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**|| A / N ||** So, whatcha think? Should I continue it? This idea popped _*cough*slammed*cough*_ into my head during Bible class today, and it sounded like something fun to write. Plus, it'll help make some things clearer in SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH... so, yeah, tell me what ya think in a nice, well-thought-out **REVIEW**! xD (And, no, this won't slow down SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH updates.)


	2. Blooming Friendship

|| **A__F_O_R_G_O_T_T_E_N__P_A_S_T **||

**||SUMMARY||** _Arianna- a young Cherokee girl from America. Mana and Neah- two orphan brothers trying to survive on their own. Follow these three youngsters as they live their lives to the fullest while being shunned by society. JOINT STORY WITH SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH_

**||WARNING|| **_There will be some bad language in these next chapters (courtesy of Neah)._

**||CLAIMER||** _All things not mentioned in DGM are copyright to me unless posted otherwise._

**||DISCLAIMER|| **_I do not own DGM or any characters, plot-lines, sayings, etc, that are in DGM._

_

* * *

_

_It wasn't fair! Why didn't she get to laugh like them? Why didn't she have anyone to play and smile with?_

_Why didn't she have anyone to sing her "Happy Birthday"?_

_Anger and jealousy taking over her, Arianna stomped over to the two, her eyes flashing. She stopped behind them and put her hands on her hips, drawing herself to her full height._

_"You two!" she barked, her tone rivaling that of the city night guards._

_The two boys turned around—complete surprise decorating their dirt-smudged, young faces._

_"Sing me 'Happy Birthday'!"_

* * *

**/| CHAPTER 2 |\**

**Blooming Friendship**

Arianna only realized her mistake after the words burst from her mouth.

Two pairs of eyes were looking at her now—one pair, a mesmerizing gray; the other, a soft brown.

"And who the hell are you?" asked the boy with spiky hair and pretty silver eyes.

"Brother!" chastised the other.

"I-I…"

"What, Mana? I only asked her who the hell she was—who just goes up to people and orders them around? Only bloody idiots, that's who."

"Brother, don't be mean," muttered Mana quietly, flashing a glance at the now very sheepish Arianna. "If you want someone to sing you Happy Birthday," spoke Mana to Arianna, "Brother's the one to do it. I can't sing."

Arianna blinked, surprised that the older boy named Mana was talking to her so kindly. "O-Oh, um…"

Suddenly, the silver-eyed boy turned to his brother. "Oi, I never said I'd do it, Mana—"

"Why not?" asked Arianna, a bit confused and conflicted at the moment—flustered would be a better word for it. She'd never had an actual conversation with anyone in this foreign land—let alone, two boys.

The boy turned his silver eyes to her, and she felt as if they were piercing right through her. "Why the hell should I sing you Happy Birthday?" he scoffed as if it were the stupidest thing in the world.

Arianna tried to hold her wince at the rather harshly spoken words. "W-Well, because it's my Birthday!" she countered indignantly, getting some of her older spirit back.

"That's not a good reason—"

"But I asked you to!"

"No, you didn't. You ordered us to. An' I don't listen to anybody who rides a high horse!"

"That doesn't make any sense—I don't have a horse!"

"Are you stupid or somethin'?"

The boy named Mana just watched warily, not knowing whether to stop the bickering pair or not. Both of them were standing up, practically in each other's faces, hands on their hips.

"No, I'm not stupid! You're the one who's stupid—why would someone like me have a horse?"

"It was a figure of speech, Dumb Ass!"

"Stop calling me rude names!"

"I can call you whatever I want to call you, Dumb Ass!"

"I don't understand what's so bad about singing someone Happy Birthday," snapped Arianna. "It's my Birthday, so why don't you just suck up your pride and sing Happy Birthday to me? Or is it because you can't sing after all?"

Silver eyes flashed at the challenge. Suddenly, a crooked grin appeared on the spiky-haired boy's face.

"Fine. I'll sing you Happy Birthday."

Arianna blinked in surprise, not expecting the rude boy in front of her to give in out of nowhere.

"R-Really?"

"Brother…" came a warning voice from Mana. "Don't do what I think you're going to do…"

"Shut it, Mana. She wants me to sing her 'Appy Birthday, so I'm going to sing her Happy-bloody-Birthday."

"But, Brother—"

However, the silver-eyed boy didn't listen. Instead, he opened his mouth and started to sing.

_"Happy Birthday to you,"_

Arianna found herself shocked even further. She'd never heard anyone with such a… a beautiful voice… it was mesmerizing—even better than her own voice.

_"You live in a zoo,"_

Arianna stiffened, not recognizing the phrase in the lyrics.

"Brother…"

_"You look like a monkey,"_

"Brother!"

However, Mana's brother continued, that crooked, mean grin still on his face as he sang the last verse.

_"And you smell like one too!"_

"Brother, that was mean!"

Said brother just smirked triumphantly. "What? I sang it to her, didn't I?"

Arianna listened to the two bicker quietly, her eyes shadowed by her brown-almost-black bangs as she looked at her dirty feet. Her earlier frustration and sadness was coming back quickly… She balled up her fists at her sides, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening her pride…

"N-Neah! You made her cry!"

"Rubbish!" exclaimed the silver-eyed boy named Neah, disbelief hinting in his tone… and a bit of guilt? Nah, she had to be imagining that. The silver-eyed boy was mean. Cruel. He couldn't possibly be feeling guilty.

"I'm not crying," sniffled Arianna, feeling incredibly pathetic. She sank down onto her knees, her small dusty dress pooling a bit around her legs.

"Nah, you're not crying. You're bawling," accused Neah, crouching down and squinting at her from behind chestnut brown bangs.

"Brother, you need to apologize," stated Mana seriously as he eyed the sniffling girl with uncertainty.

The brothers had never met anyone that purposely talked to them before. Especially not a girl around their age. Most parents told their children to stay as far away as possible from them…

Mana was even more surprised when his brother frowned a bit…

And listened to him… Neah _apologized!_

"Look, girlie, I'm sorry, 'kay? So stop crying."

Mana could only look at his brother in disbelief. Neah never apologized to _anyone._ It was one of those  
"pride" things of his brother's.

Ariana sniffled again, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I-I'm not crying…" she hiccupped stubbornly. "A-and… I… I guess I forgive you… but th-that was mean…"

Mana watched his brother curiously for a reaction. Sure enough, Neah rolled his silver-eyes, but it didn't seem to be out of exasperation.

"Excuse me, but what's your name?" asked Mana, kneeling down in front of the young girl as his brother had done. She could only be a couple of years younger than them.

"Arianna…"

"What kind of name is that?" deadpanned Neah, his usual rudeness coming back full blast.

Mana sighed, wishing Neah's sudden hint of concern could have stayed a bit longer…

Arianna looked up in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"'Arianna'. What kind of name is that?" repeated Neah with a slight sneer.

Said girl puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "It's my name, that's what! Anyway, who are you to talk? What kind of name is 'Neah'?"

"What's wrong with 'Neah'? You smashing my name?"

"You 'smashed' mine first!"

"Brother, stop it," cut in Mana, putting a bit more effort into his usually quiet voice. He turned back to Arianna, who seemed to have recovered herself. "Where are you from, Arianna?"

The name sounded funny on his tongue.

Arianna seemed reluctant to say.

"America…" she muttered after a moment.

"You're from America? Do Americans always have weird names?" asked Neah with a snort.

"I'm not American! I'm Cherokee!"

"Same thing—you lived in America, so you're American!"

"No, I lived in a camp with my people—not the pale people!"

"So is 'Arianna' Cherokee?" asked Mana, trying to keep the conversation an actual conversation. He tended to be the one who kept things on track, while his brother enjoyed uprooting the track and stomping on its remains…

"Kind of… we adopted some names in other languages when the colonists first came…"

"So what's your Indian name?" asked Mana curiously, having heard of the 'savage' people that were in America before England set up a colony there. Arianna didn't look savage… just different, with her copper skin and dark, dark hair.

"Well, Arianna means 'Pure'…"

"And the second part?"

"I made up the second part," said Arianna a bit sheepishly. "My name is 'Pure Song' back home…"

"So… you sing?" asked Neah, a bit curiously.

"Yes…"

"So why the hell didn't you sing yourself Happy Birthday?" the spiky-haired boy said accusingly.

Arianna bristled and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"I can't turn nine until someone sings me Happy Birthday—Duh!"

"Who the hell made that rule?"

"It's common sense!"

"You turn nine on your Birthday, dumb ass. No one has to sing you Happy Birthday for you to age!"

"What makes you say that?"

"COMMON SENSE!"

Mana face palmed. Never before had he met someone able to argue with his brother so long without giving up…

"You got any other stupid common sense? I bet all you people have weird names!"

"Do not!"

"Prove it!"

"Whispering Grass was my friend back in America."

"Who the hell calls themselves 'Grass'?"

"Don't you insult her!"

"Brother…" groaned Mana.

"Okay then, if not all your names are stupid, then what would ours be?" challenged Neah.

Arianna blinked. "Um… well…"

Mana perked up. He'd always been interesting in different cultures.

"How do you name people where you live?" asked Mana, finally able to get a word in.

Arianna turned to him and bit her lip. "Well… the blood-relatives would usually name the child. But sometimes, the Chief does."

"What do you think our names would be?"

Arianna made a face, looking at the two brothers. Finally, she stood up and puffed out her chest, trying to remember how her Chief had named people in her tribe.

"You!" she said sharply, pointing to a slightly surprised Mana, "Would be Kind Bear!"

Neah snorted.

"You!" Arianna turned to Neah, pointing at him also—except this time, her face went dead-serious. "You, would be Jack Ass."

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

And so, the beginning of their friendship bloomed.

* * *

**A / N** : I had a ton of fun writing this xD~ Mari-Mari and I went to Barnes & Noble to Starbucks and just hung out with our laptops. The idea for this chapter popped into my head while we were there- Hope you like it! (Excuse the language...^^'''). Anyway, considering I had one fav and three alerts on the first chappie, I decided I should continue this little Joint-Story to SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH. Next chapter for this will probably come up after I complete the next chapter for SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH. /./ Want faster updates? _**REVIEWS**_ keep me motivated! ;D ('cause, seriously, for all I know, this could be a real stupid fanfic '.)


	3. Night Prayers

|| **A__F_O_R_G_O_T_T_E_N__P_A_S_T **||

**||SUMMARY||** _Arianna- a young Cherokee girl from America. Mana and Neah- two orphan brothers trying to survive on their own. Follow these three youngsters as they live their lives to the fullest while being shunned by society. JOINT STORY WITH SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH_

**||WARNING|| **_There will be some bad language in these next chapters (courtesy of Neah)._

**||CLAIMER||** _All things not mentioned in DGM are copyright to me unless posted otherwise._

**||DISCLAIMER|| **_I do not own DGM or any characters, plot-lines, sayings, etc, that are in DGM._

_

* * *

_

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"What do you think our names would be?"

Arianna made a face, looking at the two brothers. Finally, she stood up and puffed out her chest, trying to remember how her Chief had named people in her tribe.

"You!" she said sharply, pointing to a slightly surprised Mana, "Would be Kind Bear!"

Neah snorted.

"You!" Arianna turned to Neah, pointing at him also—except this time, her face went dead-serious. "You... would be Jack Ass."

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

And so, the beginning of their friendship bloomed.

* * *

**/| CHAPTER 3 |\**

**Night Prayers**

"What are you thinking about, Brother?" asked Mana, glancing at Neah from the corner of his eye as they headed back to their make-shift home.

Neah had been unnaturally silent since the Arianna girl had gone back home, waving bye to them with a silly grin planted on her dark-skinned face as she ignored Neah's furious cursing towards what she'd named him (which Mana couldn't help but snigger inwardly at even now).

Mana glanced at his brother, still awaiting an answer. Said boy's hands were stuffed into his worn trouser pockets, and a clear frown decorated his dirt-smudged face. His sharp silver eyes were turning to a thoughtful gray.

"She's weird," Neah stated after a moment's silence.

Mana sweat dropped but cracked a small smile all the same. His brother didn't trust people easily, having never actually met anyone who was kind to him before (besides him, his brother, of course). Therefore, Neah usually pictured everyone around them as cruel beings that cared nothing for them; whereas Mana had known someone kind to them… or at least to him: Their mother.

Renee Walker had died giving birth eleven years ago to Neah... the offspring of rape. At the time, Mana, on the brink of the age of three, had not understood exactly what had been happening. All he'd really gotten up to the time of his brother's birth was the rather tense atmosphere. However, as much as he couldn't remember of his earlier life in a warm, loving home, he did remember his mother's kind smile.

Neah hadn't smiled in years, until recently... and his smile mirrored their mother's in a frightening resemblance.

"She managed to make you smile though," said Mana thoughtfully, remembering the smirk that had replaced his brother's scowl once Arianna had disappeared.

Mana ignored the utterly furious denial that spouted from his brother's lips; it could have made a sailor blush.

After a couple of minutes of Neah's grumblings, the brothers finally arrived at their destination.

The two stood alone in front of a rather large, rundown building in the middle of a trashed lot. It had once been a small, modest apartment complex with up to five rooms for business. However, since the city had expanded, it had been abandoned. Now, it lay like an old relic, its once warm, dull yellow paint now chipping and peeling; its windows boarded up and three out of six shattered; and its front door hanging on by only one of its hinges.

All in all, it didn't exactly look accommodating… but to the brothers, it was their shelter. Their place. Their:

"Home sweet home," murmured Mana.

Neah's face became stoic as he grunted in reply.

It was the only home _he'd_ ever known.

|\|/| |\|/| |\|/|

Arianna flitted back home, feeling warmer than usual… more whole. The image of Neah's furious face flashed through her mind, and she snickered.

Kind Bear and Jack Ass.

Arianna pursed her lips as she slowed down, for once not really caring or noticing the way people veered away from her. She couldn't call Neah "Jack Ass" all the time, could she? It would be a little mean… then again, he hadn't been exactly nice to her either.

Mana, or Kind Bear as she would call him, had been very nice though. He was polite and gentle. Kind Bear was a good name for him…

What could Arianna name Neah then? Calling him "Jack Ass" all the time wouldn't do. Maybe when he was being mean again… but…

Arianna couldn't help but remember the spiky-haired boy's eyes… silver eyes...

He had a pretty voice too… but his eyes were what first caught Arianna's attention.

"Arianna? What are you doing just standing outside the house like that?"

Arianna snapped out of her musings and looked around to find that she was in front of her house. Her feet must have brought her there without her realizing it.

"Eh?" she said dumbly before looking up to find her mother looking out the window.

Her mother: 100% Cherokee, no doubt about it. Her skin was darker than Arianna's, but still held a warm glow. Her hair was also a long, wavy midnight black that always seemed to shine even at night. She was smiling, though it seemed a bit stressed.

"Come on in and help out your _u-ni-tsi (_mother_)_ would you?"

"Okay!" called up Arianna, happy that, for once in the past three days that she'd been here, her mother wanted her to help in something.

Brushing off the dust from her simple beige dress, Arianna straightened and ran into her new/first house. She'd never lived in a house back in America—her people had lived in the traditional tents—so this was an entirely new experience. She paused as she entered the home, looking around herself in slight awe. It was strange... being closed in by walls. A bit claustrophobic, but it made her feel more protected.

"_U-we-tsi_ _(_daughter_)_?"

"Ah, coming!" blurted Arianna, shaking her head as if to clear it and racing up the wooden stairs to where her mother was. "What do you need help with?"

Arianna found her mother in her new room—or what was going to be her new room. She was setting down a painting brush and a paint bucket… a single brush…

"I was wondering if you could paint your room? I have to go to work in five minutes," said Arianna's mother, a tired edge to her usually warm voice.

Arianna felt herself physically deflate, but didn't let the disappointment show in her voice. "Oh, okay. I'll get right to it. Don't worry about it, _u-ni-tsi __(_mother_)_…"

Her mother smiled appreciatively. Before leaving the room, she rested her hand on Arianna's head. "Thank you. I'll be home late tonight, so don't stay up late waiting for me. You need your sleep."

"Yes, Mum…"

And with that, the door closed, leaving Arianna alone in her new room.

It felt more like a cage to her…

Yes, and she was like the lonely bird in the cage. Always alone…

"_I shall continue to pray…_" she murmured softly, starting the familiar comforting "phrase" she'd made back home when she'd been distraught in leaving her people. "_I shall continue to pray… please, give this child love… joined hands, and a kiss…_"

That night, Arianna fell asleep, the words repeating themselves in her head and weaving into her dreams.

_Please, God…_

_Please, give me love… give me a happy, loving family…_

_Please, let me join hands… let me hold hands with life-friends…_

_Please, kiss me… comfort me… tell me there's hope for tomorrow…_

|\|/| |\|/| |\|/|

Neah sank down onto his bum, leaning against the old wall, trying to ignore the disturbing _creak_ it made. His silver eyes scanned the practically vacant room coated with dust… the two make-shift beds of thrown-out clothes—one, his, empty, and the other occupied by his brother.

Mana lay curled up rather like a cat, his fingers twitching and eyelids fluttering as he dreamed.

Neah hoped they were good dreams…

He never dreamed of much, when he did get some sleep. And when he actually did, all he experienced was darkness… swirling black.

Every once in a while, though, he'd see things. Things he didn't recognize. He'd feel pain caused by no physical wounds. He'd feel emotions that he'd never felt before. He'd feel a strange energy trickle through his body before flickering away when he awoke, gasping for some unknown reason.

His eyes narrowed as Mana whimpered softly, curling tighter into himself and making the floor _creak_ with his movement.

What could his brother be dreaming of? Neah couldn't help but wonder. Of their mother? Now that Neah thought about it, Mana never talked much of their mother… or father… then again, had they ever even had a true father?

Neah was not stupid. He'd known at an early age that he'd been born from rape. The news of Renee Walker's death had spread like wild fire for years, along with the cause. He could only guess that she'd been an influential woman to gain such of a community response… but not influential enough to get them into another family.

Neah didn't say it out loud… but he knew it was his fault Mana was on the streets. With his birth, their mother had died. Because of him, Mana was suffering.

Because of him, the child of rape, Mana didn't get adopted into a good family like he could have.

No, Mana was too soft. Because of _his_ status as a child of rape, no family who upheld honor would take him in. Even as a newborn baby. Because of _him_, Mana had refused to accept adoption without him being adopted into the same family with him.

Naturally, no family accepted such terms.

Mana whimpered again, this one softer and less pronounced.

Neah's gaze softened.

Mana may be too soft… but he was a loving brother. He was the only "light" in Neah's life. If it hadn't been for Mana's determination to keep him with him, Neah was sure he wouldn't be here today.

And as much as his life sucked, Neah preferred having the chance to live.

Neah turned his gaze from his troubled, sleeping brother and looked out of the wood-barred window, into the dark night sky. His eyes went half-lidded as drowsiness finally announced itself to his body.

He snorted bitterly and ran a dirty hand through his spiky chestnut hair.

Finally. Maybe he'd get a fair amount of sleep tonight.

But first…

"_And then the boy…"_

Neah could see his brother begin to relax, the whimpers disappearing. For some reason, Neah had been gifted with a voice. He could only hope that it was from his mother… and not from his bastard of a father.

"_Drifted off to sleep…breathing heavily…thousands of dreams upon this earth_…"

With those words drifting from his lips, Neah closed his eyes, embracing the darkness that came with his, thank goodness, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**A / N** : Okay, for the record, I may be 1/6 Cherokee, but that doesn't mean I know the language - -'' I got the translations from a Cherokee translation website, though I do believe they're correct (the owner of the website is apparently fluent in Cherokee...). Also, the parts of the song are from the MANGA not the ANIME, so don't start snappin' at me that they're wrong if you only watch the anime xP. /./ If you haven't seen the Author's Note for the latest chapter of SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH (41/42), then I suggest you do, 'cause I really don't feel like repeatin' it on here- though, I'll give you a summary: I'm busy. Don't blame me if updates get slower than a chappie per week. /./ Please, _please_, PLEASE _**REVIEW!**_ I'd like to hear your thoughts on how the story is so far! No need to be shy! =3


	4. First Quarrels

|| **A_**_**F_O_R_G_O_T_T_E_N**_**_P_A_S_T **||

**||SUMMARY||** _Arianna- a young Cherokee girl from America. Mana and Neah- two orphan brothers trying to survive on their own. Follow these three youngsters as they live their lives to the fullest while being shunned by society. JOINT STORY WITH SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH_

**||WARNING|| **_There will be some bad language in these next chapters (courtesy of Neah)._

**||CLAIMER||** _All things not mentioned in DGM are copyright to me unless posted otherwise._

**||DISCLAIMER|| **_I do not own DGM or any characters, plot-lines, sayings, etc, that are in DGM._

_

* * *

_

_Neah turned his gaze from his troubled, sleeping brother and looked out of the wood-barred window, into the dark night sky. His eyes went half-lidded as drowsiness finally announced itself to his body._

_He snorted bitterly and ran a dirty hand through his spiky chestnut hair._

_Finally. Maybe he'd get a fair amount of sleep tonight._

_But first…_

"And then the boy…"

_Neah could see his brother begin to relax, the whimpers disappearing. For some reason, Neah had been gifted with a voice. He could only hope that it was from his mother… and not from his bastard of a father._

"Drifted off to sleep…breathing heavily…thousands of dreams upon this earth…"

_With those words drifting from his lips, Neah closed his eyes, embracing the darkness that came with his, thank goodness, dreamless sleep._

_

* * *

_

**/| CHAPTER 4 |\**

**First Quarrels**

_"Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home,_

_Your house in on fire and your children are gone,_

_All except one and that's little Ann,_

_For she crept under the frying pan."_

Mana sweat-dropped, trying not to shiver at what his brother had just randomly sung. "That's a bit dark… don't you think, Brother?"

Neah rolled his eyes. "It's just a nursery rhyme, Mana. You know, for kids?"

"It's still dark," repeated Mana a bit firmly this time. "I'd rather you not sing songs like that…"

Neah switched his gaze from the dusty sand path they were on and looked at his brother from the corner of his eye. Mana had been rather… closed in. Maybe it was something to do with his dreams last night? Had Mana had nightmares after all?

"What do you want me ta sing, then?"

Mana looked over to his brother and seemed to think for a moment. "Er… I dunno…"

"How 'bout 'Jack 'n' Jill'?"

"Neah, that's even darker!"

"Well, there ain't any 'appy nursery rhymes, Mana!"

"Then don't sing a nursery rhyme!"

Both brothers glared at each other for a moment, having stopped in their tracks, before Mana cracked a small pained smile. Neah eyed his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"It's been a while… since we've last fought."

Neah huffed before stuffing his hands in his pockets and resuming their walk to the marketplace. There Mana went. Going all sober and crap. Neah hated it when his brother started getting like this.

"Hn, whatever. C'mon already. We aren't gonna make it ta the circus in time if ya go all reminissy."

Mana just chuckled before breaking into a trot to catch up to his moving brother.

"I wonder if we'll see Arianna again," he spoke up mischievously as he once again became in sync with his brother's steps.

"Don't jinx it," growled back Neah.

It wasn't too long before they reached the entrance to the young city. Technically, since the city had expanded, their little make-shift home was out of bounds.

Not that they cared. Walking had never been a problem for the brothers.

The two slipped into the gathering crowds. As the city awoke in the morning, things got more and more busy—which served well for them to blend in.

Muttering a dark curse under his breath as a passerby stepped on his foot, Neah shoved passed some yackers who decided to be a roadblock as they chatted about nothing. Jeeze, didn't these people have something better to do rather than blocking off the flow of things?

He ignored their loud protests and walked on. Mana was close by, within arm's reach. Getting lost in the morning traffic would be troublesome…

Just then, as a carriage dropped off some people and moved away, Neah spotted a familiar figure.

"Damn it, Mana. You jinxed us after all."

Said boy looked over at him in confusion before following his silver-eyed gaze.

Only a couple yards away stood Arianna. However, something was wrong.

She was surrounded by a group of boys.

Neah recognized them immediately. Anger burning in his gut, he ignored his brother's warning and pushed himself forward until he was right behind the semi-circle trapping Arianna.

Right behind the oldest boy.

He clamped a firm hand onto said boy's shoulder.

"Oi, Se_bastard_, what t'fuck do yeu think yer doin'?"

. . . .

Arianna made her way through the crowd, staying close to the edge where it wasn't as thick. On days such as this, not even her presence could cut a path through the people swarming towards and around the marketplace.

She had run out of paint for her room. In fact, she'd only been able to get a single wall done. Her mother hadn't seemed to have noticed the lack of paint in the can… she had probably been too busy with her new job. Her father, meanwhile, had not been home. In fact, Arianna hadn't seen him since a day or so ago…

A rough shoulder slammed into her, knocking her down onto her butt. Arianna gave a pained groan and looked up to see a boy.

He looked to be a bit older than Neah and Mana—the boys she'd met yesterday—and had platinum blonde hair—a rather shocking color to her eyes. She'd never seen a fair-haired person before, so she couldn't help but stare.

"Watch where yer goin', girlie," he snapped, his eyes the color of chipped ice.

"I-I'm sorry," apologized Arianna quickly, picking herself up and reaching for the bucket of paint she'd just bought and dropped. "I didn't see you and—"

Another boy appeared next to the blonde boy and rudely kicked the bucket away from her reaching hand before scrutinizing her with brown eyes.

"Hey, Sebastian- that girlie was 'anging with the Walker Brats yesterday," exclaimed the boy that had kicked the paint bucket away.

The blonde boy named Sebastian suddenly sneered gleefully.

"You ain't bluffin'!"

It was then that Arianna realized there was more than just the brown eyed, brown haired boy and the blonde boy named Sebastian. In fact, there were three others.

She could feel her instincts pricking at her, telling her to get away. Arianna could recognize a bad situation when it appeared—and this was one of them.

Now she was up against a stone building's wall, the boys surrounding her in a semi-circle. They were all around the same age—twelve to fifteen year olds from the look of them.

"'Walker Brats?'" She echoed, trying to keep her voice strong. She'd always been taught to never show her fear—animals could sense fear easily, and humans could truly act like animals sometimes, feeding off their victim's fear. "I don't know who you are talking about—"

"I saw her 'anging wit' them yesterday, Sebastian!" repeated the brown haired and eyed boy. "I knows it—didn't I, Han?"

The red-haired boy next to him nodded. "Aye, I remember! She waz laughin' with 'em and shit!"

Arianna was feeling more and more confused. Suddenly, the boys' words seemed to finally make sense.

"You mean Kind—er—Mana and Neah?"

"Spot-on," said Sebastian, ugly sneer still in place. "So you were hangin' with 'em? You admit it?"

Well, I've obviously gotten myself in a pickle, thought Arianna darkly. By the look of things, I'm not getting out of here without a fight so…

"Yes, do you have a problem with that? I must say, those two had much more manners than you sniveling brutes!"

The group of boys seemed stunned for a moment, before anger set in.

Here it comes, thought Arianna preparing herself to find any opening to slip through and get away. After all, those who fall to anger make mistakes, as her Chief had once told her.

However, before they closed in, a hand appeared, gripping onto the blonde-haired Sebastian's shoulder with a vice-like grip.

"Oi, Se_bastard_, what t'fuck do yeu think yer doin'?"

Arianna wouldn't have recognized the voice if she hadn't remembered how a certain boy's accent became thicker when he was pissed off.

Plus, unlike anyone else's, it always held a musical tint to it.

"N-Neah?" she exclaimed, her hazel eyes wide with surprise when the group of hostile boys shifted enough for her to see the rude boy from yesterday.

His light brown hair seemed even more spiked than yesterday, as if he were bristling, and his silver eyes were cold and hard.

He ignored her voice.

The Sebastian—dubbed "Se_bastard_"—boy whirled around, ripping his shoulder from Neah's grip.

"Speakin' of ta devils, it's the Walker Brats," he snarled, his back now to Arianna. "Come ta save yer girlie?"

What a mistake. First, turning your back—on a Cherokee, no less. Second, calling said Cherokee someone's "girlie".

Arianna did not hold back. She hadn't been a Cherokee for nothing. She moved quickly, slamming her foot into the back of Sebastian's knees firmly and making his legs buckle underneath him so he fell flat on his face.

"My name is Arianna Song, not 'Girlie'!" she all but snarled, her eyes burning, glowering down at the older boy. "And I sure as _hell_ am not someone's 'girlie' either!"

Neah was staring at her, his eyes showing stunned shock. Mana was a couple feet away, having started running over—his mouth was agape as he stared at the fallen Sebastian.

However, shock could only last so long. Sebastian's posy seemed to finally get it through their thick, arrogant skulls what had just happened.

"Sebastian!"

"How dare yeu!"

"Get 'em!"

The fight, surprisingly, did not last long. For one thing, Neah seemed to be adept in the art of street fighting—as did Mana, though he wasn't as brutal as his brother. For another… well, Arianna could swing a paint can—HARD.

In no time, the group of boys were slipping away, throwing curses over their shoulders as they did so. Sebastian was last to go, glaring heatedly at the Walker brothers.

"Yeu'll pay for this Walker Brats!"

"Go knock yeurself, Se_bastard_!" Neah all but cackled in reply as he rolled his shoulder, silver eyes shining. "I've got a plenty of knuckles to spend on yeur butt-ugly face!"

Arianna lowered her paint can from the earlier swing she'd spent on clipping one of the already fled boys. She was silent as she watched them run off, melting and stumbling into the crowd. Now that she looked around, she realized that their skirmish managed to catch quite a bit of attention…

"Over yonder, Officer! They waz fightin' back t'ere!"

"Shit!" cursed Neah.

Mana didn't hesitate in grabbing Arianna's hand. "C'mon, Arianna, we've gotta get out of here!"

Arianna did as told, trusting Kind Bear, and let him drag her away. Neah was slightly ahead of them, flinging looks over his back to make sure they kept up. Arianna could clearly hear what sounded like men behind them—probably the "police officers" she'd heard about.

"Why are they chasing us?" she asked as Neah led them around a sharp corner and through disgruntled crowds that parted irritably as the three shoved passed.

"What d'ya think?" snapped Neah, flashing a glare at her as he led them into a trashed alley, escaping the shouts and crowds. "Are you wonkers or somethin'? Goin' up against Sebastard and those shits!"

"Brother, cleaner language," chastised Mana, keeping Arianna's hand in a firm but gentle grip as they turned another corner. "I'm sure Arianna didn't mean to run into them."

Neah snorted, but said nothing else. Arianna noted that the voices were getting closer.

"They're catching up!" she announced, her voice a loud whisper in fear that the chasing men would hear.

"No shit, Sherlock," muttered Neah—ignoring his brother's following rebuke.

Suddenly, he turned sharply again and into an even darker alley. Arianna couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She'd never been here before—and her surroundings looked familiar to some kind of labyrinth from the pale people's myths. However, Neah didn't go deep into it. Instead, he all but dove behind a large pile of trash bags. Mana swiftly followed, pulling Arianna down quickly and making a rushed sign of his finger to his lips for silence as they crouched amongst the smelly bags.

Arianna was glad she listened.

No sooner had Mana made the sign, two men in blue rushed by, their boots clomping loudly against the ground. The small group of three stayed silent, even when the police officers turned into another alley. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Arianna, Neah stood up slowly and cautiously, like an animal wary of a surprise attack.

"They're gone," he announced finally.

Mana visibly relaxed next to Arianna. He stood and helped her up, much to her appreciation. Staying crouched like that on the cold dirty cobbles had left her legs stiff. She stood up straight and brushed off her faded yellow dress.

"Well, I haven't had that much fun in a while," she informed the two, sending them a grin.

It was true. Back in her camp, she and Whispering Grass, her close friend, would always sneak out and explore, getting in trouble often. Arianna hadn't had a scare like this in a long time, and it felt rejuvenating in some weird way.

Mana returned her words with a small, sheepish smile, not quite knowing what to say to that.

Neah, predictably, sneered. "Don't ya think we'll save yeur sorry hide again, Dumb Ass."

Arianna promptly rolled her eyes as she'd seen someone do the other day. It seemed to be some sort of attitude in reply to someone being obnoxious—from what she'd seen of the woman arguing with a rather loud man. "Whatever, Jack Ass."

The silver-eyed boy bristled visibly, but Mana cut in before things became conflicted.

"What were you doing in the marketplace alone, Arianna?" he asked, a bit of concern entering his kind brown eyes. "It's not safe to shop alone," he added as he caught sight of her paint can.

Arianna shrugged as she picked up her paint can from behind the smelly garbage bags. "I needed more paint for my room, and _u-ni-tsi_ and _e-'do-'da_ were too busy to get it for me."

It took Arianna a moment to realize why the two older boys were looking at her in a mixture of confusion and plain blankness. She blushed. "Er, Mum and Dad were too busy to get it for me," she corrected quickly, grabbing at a lock of her nearly black hair in embarrassment and pulling on it a bit to straighten out the tangles.

Mana frowned a bit. "Going alone to the marketplace is still dangerous though…" he repeated after a moment. "Don't you have any friends you can go with?"

Arianna couldn't stop herself from flinching. "I—uh…"

Neah snorted. "Remember, Mana? She's one o' them savages from America. Like anyone's gonna wanna be friends with someone like that."

It was a funny thing, really. One moment Arianna felt as if someone had jammed a hot poker into her heart, and the next she was smacking Neah on the head with her paint can.

"BLOODY HELL?"

"I AM NO SAVAGE!" she all but screamed at him. "And I'm bloody _tired_ of being called one! Everyone here in this damn land calls me a 'savage' and treats me like dirt, and _I'm tired of it_!"

"A-Arianna, calm down!" spoke up Mana, his eyes wide in shock. "Neah didn't mean it like—"

"It's not fair!" she continued, feeling hot tears begin to prick her eyes. "Just because I'm Cherokee and come from America and have a different skin color doesn't mean I'm lower than any of you pale—"

"Will yeu stuff it a'ready!" interrupted Neah, holding his abused head and glaring daggers at her. "Stop actin' like yeur ta only one goin' through shit! 'Cause yeu ain't!"

Arianna whirled on him, her eyes burning. "You are the one who called me a savage!" she snarled. "I thought you were different—a jack ass, yes, but nice in your own way! I should've known you thought me a savage like everyone else!"

"Both of you stop it!" shouted Mana, pulling the feuding two apart. "We shouldn't be fighting like this! It's not right!"

Neah's silver eyes were still aflame, but he turned away, glaring at the ground to his right with his hands crossed over his chest firmly. Arianna, meanwhile, quieted and looked down at her bare feet, warm tears still trickling annoyingly down her face.

"Let's all calm down," continued Mana, his voice softer, though still firm. "Arianna, Neah didn't mean it that way—I _know_ he didn't mean it that way," he added when she looked up and frowned as if about to protest. "Neither of us think you're a savage. Neither of us think we're better than you. So, please, don't say things like that."

Arianna flashed a glance at Neah, who was still glaring hotly at the ground, then back to Mana before looking down at her feet again. She swallowed thickly.

"S-Sorry… I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that Kind Bear… and I'm sorry for yelling at you Silver-Eyes…" she said softly.

Neah looked up startled. "What'd yeu jus' call me?"

Arianna blinked, realizing what she'd just said a little too late. "I—er… Silver-Eyes," she repeated a bit lamely, self-consciously rubbing her arm and pursing her lips stubbornly as she looked to the side. "I didn't think calling you 'Jack Ass' all the time would be very nice…"

Mana suddenly chuckled. "Though he tends to be one quite a lot," he said slyly, earning a dark look from his brother.

Arianna giggled while Neah growled, "Do not."

"Do to."

"Do not!"

"Whatever you say, Brother."

"Damn it, Mana! I do _not_ act like a Jack Ass!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

Arianna was openly laughing as the quarrelling two continued. She hadn't quite witnessed Mana's playfully sarcastic side before.

It was pleasantly enlightening.

That was when she had an idea. She didn't want to leave the two just yet… so maybe…

"Kind Bear? Silver-Eyes? You guys want to help me paint my room?"

* * *

**A / N** : Why didn't I update SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH first? Simple, document manager was bein' a turd Dx The format kept screwin' up, and every time I tried to add stuff in, after it was saved it'd appear either at the very bottom or somewhere in the middle of the chapter *vexed*. Ah, wellz, hopefully this'll work… /./ Also, I apologize for any dumb mistakes I may have made- I don't think I checked this over as well as I should have ^^'' /./ Please **_REVIEW_**! Critique is welcome!


	5. Painting & Yapping

|| **A_**_**F_O_R_G_O_T_T_E_N**_**_P_A_S_T **||

**||SUMMARY||** _Arianna- a young Cherokee girl from America. Mana and Neah- two orphan brothers trying to survive on their own. Follow these three youngsters as they live their lives to the fullest while being shunned by society. JOINT STORY WITH SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH_

**||WARNING|| **_There will be some bad language in these next chapters (courtesy of Neah)._

**||CLAIMER||** _All things not mentioned in DGM are copyright to me unless posted otherwise._

**||DISCLAIMER|| **_I do not own DGM or any characters, plot-lines, sayings, etc, that are in DGM._

* * *

_"Damn it, Mana! I do_ not_ act like a Jack Ass!"_

_"Keep telling yourself that."_

_Arianna was openly laughing as the quarrelling two continued. She hadn't quite witnessed Mana's playfully sarcastic side before._

_It was pleasantly enlightening._

_That was when she had an idea. She didn't want to leave the two just yet… so maybe…_

_"Kind Bear? Silver-Eyes? You guys want to help me paint my room?"_

* * *

**/| CHAPTER 5 |\**

**Painting and Yapping**

Arianna excitedly led the way back to her house, not at all listening to Neah's loud complaining.

"-supposed to be working at the ruddy circus—why the hell are we helping her paint her room? We ain't gettin' paid for that! Goddamnit, Mana, will ya listen ta me? !"

"Brother, you know how I feel about you using God's name in vain."

"THAT'S ALL YA GOTTA SAY? !"

"Silver Eyes, you're getting loud," commented Arianna airily, swinging her paint can to a random tune in her head.

Before said boy could give a biting remark, Mana spoke up again, "Arianna, are you sure your parents won't mind us coming over?"

"Of course not!" exclaimed Arianna. "_u-ni-tsi—_er, Mum—is always encouraging me to bring friends home. She says having friends is _very_ important."

Neah snorted.

Arianna glared.

Mana quickly turned the conversation once again.

"And you're sure you want us to help you paint your room? We've never painted a room before…"

"Me neither!" admitted Arianna with a grin. "But that is what will make it fun. Oh, we're here!"

The three stopped in front of a rather large two story house. It was a little bit of a surprise considering it seemed to pop out of nowhere along the dirt path, looking much more magnificent than the smaller homes on either side of it. The two boys' eyes were openly wide and staring.

"You live here?" asked Neah in monotone, his expression suddenly blank.

However, Neah's strange attitude change did nothing to affect Arianna's excitement. For the first time, she had someone—no, _people_— invited to her house!

"Yep! My room is on the second floor—c'mon!"

She surprised the two brothers further by grabbing a hold of Mana's hand and dragging them into the home (Mana grabbed Neah's hand last minute much to the younger brother's protest, creating a rather mixed chain affect).

"_U-ni-tsi_! I am home!" the excited Cherokee girl announced upon entering.

However, there was no reply... T=the house was utterly and completely silent.

Arianna pouted a bit, staring around the fairly empty hallway. Since they'd only just moved in and not fully unpacked, no pictures graced the hallways plain beige walls, and nothing special stood out, making the house seem like an empty shell from where they stood.

"She must be at work," Arianna voiced, hiding her disappointment with a shrug.

She didn't see Neah and Mana share a glance.

"Well, I will be the one to give you a tur then!"

"'_Tour'_, Dumbass."

Arianna suddenly put down her paint can, whirled around, and put her hands on her hips.

"Now, Silver Eyes, you are not allowed to act like a jackass in my house. Alright?"

Neah gave her a disbelieving look. "I can act however ta hell I wanna act."

Arianna seemed put off for a moment. Her mother had always taught her that once you entered someone's home, you were to obey their rules. So why wouldn't Neah?

Mana sighed, but before he could do his usual interference, Arianna seemed to have gotten her quick wit and voice back.

"Oh, of course. Sorry, I forgot that it is impossible for you _not _to be a jackass."

Mana snickered—Neah fumed.

"Now, let us explore my house!" announced Arianna with enough enthusiasm to make Neah swallow his anger and fume silently.

It was hard not to be infected by her sudden lightheartedness.

The tour went rather well—Arianna showed the two every single room on the first floor of the house—from the living room, storage room, and kitchen, to the bathrooms and any closet she came across.

Mana seemed a bit uncomfortable, however.

"Arianna, are you sure we shouldn't wash off or something? We're tracking dirt everywhere…" He eyed their bare feet. Indeed, they were leaving bits of dirt and dust sand everywhere they walked.

"You worry a lot, Kind Bear," said Arianna, with an amused grin. "It's fine—my job in the house is to clean the floors anyway."

Mana seemed even less encouraged.

Neah was oddly quiet, looking around with an incomprehensible look in his eyes. Now that Arianna thought about it, Neah had been acting a bit funny since they had arrived…

"That is everything on the first floor. Now, let's go to my room!" Arianna grabbed her earlier deposited paint can and ran up the stairs. Mana and Neah followed quickly, not really wanting to get lost in such a new environment.

Arianna's room, to put it plainly, was of good size… and simply square. There was nothing too special about it, besides its size, of course.

Her bed had finally been moved into the room the day before, pushed against a corner and little crooked. Other pieces of furniture included a plain desk, dresser, and book case.

Oh, and only one wall was painted. Rather messily too. It seemed as if Arianna had merely patched spots of the wall with blue paint, not even bothering to do layers but to paint spots that may have looked too light.

"Bloody Hell..." muttered Neah. "You sure suck at painting."

"Hm?" Arianna looked up from where she'd been rummaging in the chest for the old empty paint can.

"Nothing!" said Mana quickly, grabbing his brother from behind and holding a hand over the younger's mouth.

Arianna gave the two a funny look (Mana was now struggling to keep Neah in control whereas Neah looked beyond pissed off at being held back and shushed) before shrugging and tossing the old paint can on the floor.

"Okay! I am going to pour half of the paint in here so you two can share. And—" she rummaged in the chest again, "—here's a couple extra paint brushes."

In no time, the three set to painting.

"Shouldn't we set something on the floor so the paint doesn't get on it?" voiced Mana frowning as a large glob of paint left Neah's paintbrush and plopped loudly on the floor. It wasn't the first either.

However, it seemed as if Arianna cared even less than Neah about the floor, for there was paint all over the floor around her in much more admirable proportions.

Mana sweatdropped.

"Nah, the floor needs paint too I think," giggled Arianna as she caught the look on Mana's face. She dunked her paintbrush back into her bucket and brought it out to wipe a thick blue streak of paint on the wall. It was then that she finally realized the color of paint she'd bought was slightly different from the color from her first can. She pouted for a minute at this revelation… then realized that the shade of blue she'd created reminded of her someone…

The kid with the platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes…

"By the way, who was that 'Sebastian' person?" spoke up Arianna to the two boys as she tried spreading out the too large amount of paint she'd put on the wall.

"Oh…" Mana paused in his own much neater painting. "Well, Sebastian—"

"Yeu mean 'Se_bastard'_?" corrected Neah quite seriously as he roughly slapped a glob of paint onto the wall.

Mana gave his brother a disapproving look before turning back to Arianna. "_Sebastian_ ," he emphasized the name, ignoring his brother's look, "is someone you ought not to hang around with. He enjoys picking on people."

Arianna blinked, remembering when she'd been cornered by the boy and his cronies. "But… why does he do that?"

"He thinks he's better than everyone just cuz he's got money and shit," sneered Neah, his paint brush making another loud slap against the wall. "Says he lives in a privileged, special family—but everyone knows ta Elson family are nothin' but snot-nosed money grubbers and—"

"You shouldn't talk about the Elson family like that, brother," commented Mana warily.

"I'll talk however ta Hell I wanna 'bout them," scowled Neah, though he picked up his earlier discarded paintbrush and got back to work, even more silent than before.

Arianna watched the two for a moment before frowning. Neah had always had a way with words… but she'd never heard him sound so hateful towards someone—or people—before. It was a little surprising…

Surely there was a good reason for Neah's behavior though? After all, he didn't appear to be a hateful person… But…

Suddenly realizing she'd spaced out, Arianna picked up her paintbrush again and started painting, trying distract herself from such negative thoughts.

It wasn't good to think negatively. Negative thoughts led to bad moods, and Arianna didn't like bad moods. However, it seemed as if it was too silent. She glanced at the brothers from the corner of her eye, but they seemed distracted by their own thoughts. Mana was giving smooth brush strokes to the wall, whereas Neah was still practically slapping it on, causing little blue drops of paint to splatter everywhere. Arianna was just wondering how he did that without getting it on himself when he got a particularly large glob of paint and slapped it a little too hard against the wall…

Blue paint splattered all over his face...

Neah twitched violently.

Arianna and Mana burst out laughing.

And then Neah was letting out a string of curses- jumping up, slamming the paint brush on the floor.

"Bugger—fuck! What the Hell! Garrgh!"

"B-brother—calm down! Calm down!" Mana tried to break out of his fit of laughter as he stumbled up and tried to hold his brother down from releasing his anger on any inanimate objects—quite possibly the paintbrush or paint bucket.

Arianna, meanwhile, enjoyed the show through fits of laughter, once again feeling as lighthearted as ever.

For once, her room didn't feel like a cage…

Not anymore with her new friends here with her.

* * *

**A / N** : Soooo~ did anyone catch the familiar name in here?

Anyway, these chapters will usually include small hints, spoilers, information, or foreshadows. They won't be all that obvious, but they're there~ (It's amongst the apparently plotless jabber—really, I promise).

Sorry, this one took so long… like… months… *sweatdrop* To be honest, I had a bit of a writer's block after writing half of it… so yeah. It still feels half done and IS quite short... but I got the stuff I wanted in there, so all's good :D

Reviews are always welcome~!


	6. Family Issues

|| **A_**_**F_O_R_G_O_T_T_E_N**_**_P_A_S_T **||

**||SUMMARY||** _Arianna- a young Cherokee girl from America. Mana and Neah- two orphan brothers trying to survive on their own. Follow these three youngsters as they live their lives to the fullest while being shunned by society. JOINT STORY WITH SONG OF THE FOURTEENTH_

**||WARNING|| **_There will be some bad language in these next chapters (courtesy of Neah)._

**||CLAIMER||** _All things not mentioned in DGM are copyright to me unless posted otherwise._

**||DISCLAIMER|| **_I do not own DGM or any characters, plot-lines, sayings, etc, that are in DGM._

* * *

_Blue paint splattered all over his face..._

_Neah twitched violently. Arianna and Mana burst out laughing. And then Neah was letting out a string of curses- jumping up, slamming the paint brush on the floor._

_"Bugger—fuck! What the Hell! Garrgh!"_

_"B-brother—calm down! Calm down!" Mana tried to break out of his fit of laughter as he stumbled up and tried to hold his brother down from releasing his anger on any inanimate objects—quite possibly the paintbrush or paint bucket._

_Arianna, meanwhile, enjoyed the show through fits of laughter, once again feeling as lighthearted as ever._

_For once, her room didn't feel like a cage…_

_Not anymore with her new friends here with her._

* * *

**/| CHAPTER 6 |\**

**Family Issues**

After an hour of paint-slapping and cursing, the brothers and Arianna had finally finished painting the young girl's room.

Sort of.

Mana didn't say so, but he was quite certain Arianna's parents were going to blow a gasket when they saw the messy streaks and haphazard blotches of paint all over their daughter's floor and walls. It was a miracle that the blue paint managed to miss her bed, of all things. Her dresser and bookcase, however, were another story.

Now they were all sitting in a circle, trying to pick the flaking blue paint off their respective clothes.

Suddenly, a mischievous voice spoke up -

"Neh, Silver Eyes, lemme help you with something-"

"Wha? _What_ are ya doing wit' that brush? O- OI! DON'T COME NEAR ME WIT' DAT!"

Mana turned his brown gaze just in time to see a certain, small Cherokee girl and his younger brother tumble to the ground, Arianna brandishing a paintbrush and Neah struggling to ward it off.

"GE' OFF O' ME!"

"I just wanna give you a smile!" trilled Arianna a little too cheerfully, managing to successfully place a blue streak across Neah's already paint-smudged cheek.

"LIKE HELL!" all but screeched Neah, arms flailing as he tried to throw the girl off. Her dress, unfortunately, was getting in the way, as it was quite poofy in today's style. "Frackin' dress!"

Mana sweatdropped as the two continued their battle. It seemed as if the young nine-year-old Cherokee had an evil side after all. But then, his dear, spiky-haired brother was quite good at provoking the vengeful side of people . . .

A startled yelp broke Mana out of his contemplations. Reverting his attention back to the other two in the room, he found Neah had managed to get a generous handful of Arianna's wavy, almost black hair. Mana, admittedly, was horrified. His brother was pulling a girl's hair!

"N-Neah! Let go of her!" he exclaimed, scrambling over to the struggling pair.

"Not 'til she gets off!" argued Neah, now grinning evilly as he turned the tables, Arianna now struggling to get out of _his_ grasp.

"Pulling hair is mean, Jack Ass!" whined Arianna, one hand latching onto Neah's arm and the other still waving around her paintbrush, determined to finish her work on the older, spiky-haired boy's face.

Neah scowled. "Stop callin' me that, dumb ass!"

"It suits you too much, JACK ASS!"

Mana tried in vain to separate the two. It was hard, since Arianna was on top of Neah, and Neah was reaching up with his grip on her hair. Between the constantly tugging two and Arianna's dress, Mana feared they were all going to get tangled together. To make things worse, the paint can nearby had been disturbed and was now spilling its remaining contents all over the floor, trickling down to soak anything on its surface.

The older brother grappled with Neah's grip on Arianna's hair as he joined in their shouting fest, "Please stop it, you two!"

"HE/SHE STARTED IT!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

And then Mana was caught in the cross-fire. He stumbled back on his butt, holding his now aching head, hands rubbing at his brown hair and messing up his already messy bangs. Whoever's fist had swiped out at him, it hurt!

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming shut downstairs cut through the air. Mana looked up, eyes wide, just as his brother and Arianna froze, Neah still fisting the girl's hair and Arianna's paintbrush just completing the last side of Neah's painted smile.

Heavy footsteps thumped through the silence. Arianna let out a happy trill, yanking herself out of Neah's grip and staggering up.

"_E-'do-'da_!" called out the little girl excitedly as she ran out of the room.

As her footsteps echoed down the steps, Mana and Neah shared a glance - wariness reflected in their expressions. Someone was home, and by process of elimination, it had to be one of Arianna's parents. What were they going to think about the two dirty orphan boys in their house? Or better yet, about Arianna's messed up room?

"The kitchen is by tha steps," muttered Neah quietly. "We could slip through the window-"

"They'll see us from the entrance hall," frowned Mana, clearly worried and indecisive. "And what if Arianna gets in trouble for her room?"

Neah scowled. "Who cares? She didn't seem worried 'bout it!"

"Brother-" before Mana could chastise him, however, Arianna's voice echoed from the foot of the steps.

"Uhm, Kind Bear? Jac- er- Silver Eyes?"

Both brother stiffened. Was it just them, or did Arianna sound worried? At Neah's almost panicked glance, Mana swallowed thickly -

"Yes?" the older brother called down, trying to keep his voice steady.

However, Arianna's call back was interrupted-

"_You let them upstairs_?"

"Shit," Neah muttered. "We're fu-"

"Shhh," hissed Mana, trying to catch more of what sounded like Arianna's father's voice. He definitely didn't sound pleased . . .

"-invited them . . . to help with my room."

"What were you _thinking_? I know nothing of these boys-"

"_E-'do-'da_! I told you yesterday-"

"Arianna Song, _don't you interrupt me_!"

"Fuck dis shit," whispered Neah harshly, clear fear in his voice. "I'm outta here!"

Mana's heart was pounding wildly in his chest. He couldn't help but agree with his brother, but there was no way he would ever forgive himself for leaving little Arianna to fend for herself!

"We need to go down there!" he insisted, standing up and straightening his dirt and paint-smudged shirt.

"Are yeu mad!" hissed Neah as the voices downstairs continued, Arianna's getting more and more tear-stricken.

"C'mon, brother - not even _you_ could be so cruel as to leave her like this!"

"Watch me!"

. . . .

Arianna could feel hot tears pricking her eyes as he dear, usually kind father snapped at her. His hazel eyes were aflame with anger - she had never seen him like this!

"What do you not understand about not talking to strangers?! Letting them in the house, of all things! For all you know, they could be looting everything we have-"

"They would never do that!" insisted the little girl, hands fisted by her sides as she shouted back. "Kind Bear and Silver Eyes aren't like that!"

"You don't know that!"

"I do! I do - I do - I DO!"

"DON'T SHOUT AT ME, YOUNG LADY-"

"A-ah, excuse me?"

Both father and daughter turned to look up the staircase. Two young boys were at the top, looking down with a mix of wariness, determination, and all out annoyance.

Arianna felt her breath catch in her throat as she flashed a glance at her oddly enraged father. He had straightened up, his flaming eyes narrowed at her friends.

"And who are you boys?"

Mana spoke again, much to Arianna's relief.

"I apologize for the confusion, Mister, ah-"

"Hugh Mallory," supplied the still-angry father.

"-Mr. Mallory. My name is Mana D. Campbell, and this is my brother, Neah."

"Campbell?"

"Yes, sir."

"And why are you in our home?"

"_E-'do_-"

"Quiet!"

Mana shifted from his spot at the top of the steps. Arianna couldn't help but notice that the two brothers looked about to flee the scene. She couldn't really blame them - her father was right terrifying when angry. She barely recognized him, let alone knew how to respond to him when he was like this.

"Your daughter invited us over to help paint her room this morning," supplied Mana warily. "We-"

"And you decided to accept her invitation, despite the fact that neither I, nor her mother, were home?"

"Well-"

"_E-'do-'da_!"

"Did you think it was alright to take advantage of our daughter's clearly naive invitation-"

Arianna couldn't take it anymore. Tears burst from her eyes as she shouted at her father, anger and frustration pulsing through her, "DAMNIT, _E-'DO-'DA_, LEAVE THEM ALONE! I AM NOT NAIVE! THEY'RE MY FRIENDS! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ARE BEING SO UNFAIR TO THEM!"

A surprised silence met the nine-year-old's outburst. She was panting from raising her voice without a breath, and tears continued to trickle down her cheeks. Finally, her father's indiscernable look met her enflamed one. However, before he could say anything, Neah's voice, surprisingly enough, broke the silence.

"We were leavin' 'anyway."

Arianna felt her heart skip a beat. She looked up at the two brothers, now carefully picking their way down the steps.

"I-"

"The next time you want someone to come over, Arianna, ask me first."

All three kids froze, looking to the once-enraged man that was now oddly calm.

"_E- E-'do-'da_?" inquired Arianna very carefully, eyeing her father with clear wariness. "What-"

"I do not like being uninformed," he amended, his hand landing on his confused daughter's head. "When a father comes home to find his daughter has invited two boys he knows nothing of, he tends to be rash in his outbursts."

A tearful smile bloomed on Arianna's paint-splotched face.

"Sorry, _E-'do-'da_ - I'll remember next time."

Her father nodded once before turning to the two boys, who were currently sporting clear "WTF-just-happened" expressions. A hard look returned to his eyes.

"You take care of my foolish daughter, you hear? If you harm one hair on her head-"

"_E-do'-da_'!"

"Yes, sir!" interrupted Mana quickly, clearly deciding to keep on everyone's good side in this odd situation. Neah scowled, but seemed to decide against responding to the fatherly threat. Arianna, meanwhile, was just happy everything was "fixed" now.

"I'll be showing Kind Bear and Silver Eyes out now, if that's alright."

"Do what you wish."

. . . .

The orphan brothers, Mana and Neah, had never been happier to be outside.

"The hell is wrong wit' tha' geezer?" hissed Neah, eyeing the house warily as if Arianna's father might somehow hear.

Mana shook his head, completely at a loss as well. One moment, the young girl's father had been ridiculously angry; the next, absolutely calm. It didn't make sense. However, before the oldest brother could respond, Arianna caught up to them.

"I'm very sorry about all that," she said quickly, all in one breath. "I don't know what got into my _e-do'-da_'!"

"He's bloody mad, that's what!" snapped Neah, much to Mana's disapproval.

Arianna frowned, though she didn't really defend her father, much to both of the brothers' surprise.

"I think he's just . . . stressed. He's had a lot of, ah, you all them 'mood turns?'"

"_Mood swings_, dumb ass."

The dark-skinned girl scowled, but didn't take up the insult war that threatened to start brewing between her and the spiky haired boy.

"He's had a lot of _mood swings_ since we got here. He really is a kind person, though-"

Neah snorted.

"-promise!" added Arianna, almost desperately.

Mana could see Arianna was troubled over her father's mental health, so he decided to turn the conversation elsewhere, lest she start crying again. The poor girl looked absolutely frazzled and in a mess of worry about Mana and Neah's opinions of her family.

"I'm sure you're right," started Mana, ignoring his brother's scoffing sound, "he was probably just worried about your safety."

The young Cherokee nodded, eagerly accepting this idea. She began twisting her dress a bit as she looked from Mana to Neah, then to the ground.

"Ahm . . . I . . ."

"What?" snipped Neah, crossing his arms. He'd had enough surprises for the day, and his patience was wearing thin as a result.

Arianna though bit her lip, looking up sharply at the spiky haired boy, her cheeks red.

"Please feel free to come again!"

The brothers stared at her, clearly surprised.

"I- I had a lot of fun," insisted Arianna. "And I . . . I'd like to play with you again sometime-"

"Getting into a brawl with _Sebastard_, running from the police, screwing your room up, and shouting at your nutcase of a father was _fun_?" spoke up Neah, a look of absolute disbelief on his face.

Arianna scowled. "Yes, it was all a lot of fun, you jack ass! I especially enjoyed painting that marvelous, blue smile on your face!"

Neah was about to shout back at her choice of nickname, but then the rest of her statement sank in. He froze, reaching at his face. When his hand met the drying paint that curled up from the ends of his lips, an enraged expression took over his face.

"YEU LITTLE-"

Mana sighed as the two went at it again, this time with Neah chasing a cackling Arianna around the yard. The young girl's earlier words echoed in his mind, and Mana couldn't help but crack a smile. As crazy as their day had ended up, and as upsetting and surprising as their meeting with Arianna's father had been, he couldn't deny that today had been quite a lot of fun.

And that painted smile on Neah's face was, indeed, quite marvelous.

* * *

**A / N :** Told ya updates would be slow -flops- Honestly, the only reason I updated was because I noticed I had so many reviews for it, despite it only being five chapters. And then I started rereading and was like "this needs to be updated :I"

SO HAPPY UPDATE -shot-

And thank you very much for all the reviews~! :D

I'm still unsure in how this fanfiction will continue, especially with the recent revelations of Mana and Neah's pasts. I'll either edit their background in this fanfic, or I'll just go with an AU version. I doubt I'll go with the AU version. :T

Oh, and I guess I'll start giving tidbit info out here like I am in the new, rewritten version of SOTF . . .

1. The name "Hugh" means "mind" or "intellect."

2. The name "Mallory" is an English surname transferred to unisex forename use, from a Normal French byname for an unfortunate person, derived from Old French _malheure_, meaning "unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky."

derp :D


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